17 days - Milan, Venice, Tuscany, Rome and Cinque Terra. Need Itinerary advise

Sunny,

I would have suggested using the rental car "strategically" for those areas not well covered by public transport, as travel by trains is faster and a more efficient use of limited travel time (especially the Freccia trains which travel at up to 300 kmH). Having a car is best for the small hill towns of Tuscany, where public transport is more "limited", but the other locations are well served by trains.

I assume you're aware of the usual "caveats" with rental cars in Italy.....

• EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are easily available at any AAA office for a small fee.
• You'll have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many Italian towns and cities. Violations will result in tickets with hefty fines, which you may not know about until several months after you return home. DO NOT drive in Florence, as the city is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras and unless you know your way around, you'll get "nicked". Roberto will be able to provide more specific information on that.
• Watch your speeds carefully as not only do they have random checks, they also have an automated system called the Traffic Tutor which not only checks instantaneous speeds but also average speed between two points. If the speed is above the limit in either case, you'll be getting a ticket.
• Be sure to budget for tolls.
• If you're using unattended fuel stations, you'll almost certainly need a Chip & PIN credit card.

if you're using public transit (ie: Metro or Buses in Rome or elsewhere), note that you must validate tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! That also applies to Regionale trains which you might be using in the Cinque Terre.

Most contributors here are very reluctant to recommend driving in Rome. Traffic and parking are problems.
In fact, I can't remember one who actually recommended it. You'll know why after you've tried to drive, or park, there.

I suggest you make sure you're fully insured for damage to the car.

And try to avoid driving into the historic core of Florence, it's in a ZTL zone that prohibits most tourist cars and they enforce it.
Parking is very limited in Cinque Terre, except for the largest town.
Milan will also not be fun driving.

The trains go to all of your destinations except the Tuscany countryside. You could rent a car for that part, and do the rest by train.
In my first trip to Italy, I did what Americans do, rent the car. Ever since that trip ("of course there's parking for tourists in Florence, it's a big city"--was only one of my mistaken assumptions)--for Italy and some other countries, if the trains provide regular service to a destination, I go by train.

You've received some great advice from others above.

I wanted to mention that Milan's sights are very accessible from the metro (It will cost just a few Euro to travel there and back from Milano Centrale) and if you have time during your evening there you could see the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. In my opinion they're the two best sights in Milan and located conveniently right off the same piazza.

You've received some great advice from others above.

I wanted to mention that Milan's sights are very accessible from the metro (It will cost just a few Euro to travel there and back from Milano Centrale) and if you have time during your evening there you could see the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. In my opinion they're the two best sights in Milan and located conveniently right off the same piazza.

If you buy train tickets in advance from trenitalia.com you will find the prices far cheaper than a rental car. Milan to Venice can cost as little as 9 euros per ticket, and will take you directly from the middle of one city to another, no tolls, no ZTLs, no paying for parking a car that you cant drive into city centers, no trying to figure out the rules of the road while jet lagged. This is what I would do... Train from Milan to Venice. Rent a car after Venice to drive to Tuscany, drop off the car in La Spezia on your way to CT, train to Rome, then train back to Milan. The train from Rome to Milan will get you there in about 3 hours I think. Easy peasy!

Since you will be leaving in 2 weeks, I don't recommend the Cinque Terra. Not a nice place to be this time of year. There is enough to see in Tuscany or Rome to fill in those days.

Rest of itinerary looks fine. You may want to train to Venice and pick your car up there as you are leaving.
For lodging in Tuscany http://www.collelungo.com/EN/appartamenti.html Try Venere.com and
Booking.com Towns to look at...Montereggione, Castellina in Chianti, Colle di val d'Elsa and
San Donato in Poggio. Have also had good luck with http://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/

I'll give this a go day-by-day. Skip the Cinque Terre due to the season. It will be chilly and mostly closed down. your child will LOVE the train, and so will you. Much more relaxing when you can use it. Use a car only when require to see places you cannot see by train.

If you can fix your schedule you can buy all of your train tickets in advance for great savings. Most of the time we recommend NOT buying discounted tickets for your arrival day as if your plane is late they will be worthless, but you can buy full price tickets for thet day saving you time when you arrive.

Friday Day 1 - Arrive Milan; transfer to Milan Central via Malpensa Express (11:19 departure arrives 12:05; 11:43 at 12:35, 12:43 at 13:35).. Then take Frecciabianca to Venezia Santa Lucia departing departing 13:05, 14:05, 15:05 and 16:05 (as well as later). 3-4 nights Venezia I say 4 because you will need time to unwind, get the kid on a schedule and relax. Since you should skip the CT you have time! Use one day to take the trip to Murano and Burano and maybe even Torcello.

Saturday Day 2 - Venezia

Sunday Day 3 - Venezia

Monday Day 4 - Venezia

Tuesday Day 5 - Transfer to Firenze by train. Spend 3 nights.

Weds Day 6 - Firenze

Thurs Day 7 - Firenze

Friday Day 8 - Rent a car. Go to an agriturismo in Tuscany where you can have a little apartment, yard to play in, maybe some animals around. Stay 4 nights. Be sure they have good heating, though. It is cool in Tuscany right now!

Day 9-10-11 - tour Tuscan hill towns. Montepulciano, Montalcino, somewhere outside the gates of Siena, Arezzo: all make good bases. A GPS is highly recommended, but have a good map as a back up.

Day 12 - Turn the car in in Chiusi or Orvieto; Take the train to Rome; Stay 4 nights

Day 13-14-15 - Rome

Day 16 - Train to Milan for one night

Day 17 - Fly home

Thank you for all the replies. I am not sure I searching the trains correctly but right now if I travel from Milan to Venice the fare for all 3 of us one way is 75 euros. So while less than a car for the days in Venice ( rental and parking) it does still seem quite a bit more than what has been suggested.

I understand your dilemma.

• Angela mentioned that you can get a discounted train ticket ( Milan
  to Venice for as little as €9pp) if you purchase in advance, however,
  you can only get these super-economy tickets 120 days in advance &
  they sell very quickly.

• Since you plan to travel directly to Venice on the day you arrive to
  Milan, it's not recommended that you buy this ticket ahead of time
  because of possible delays due to flight, going through immigration
  /customs and waiting for your baggage at the airport.

• You can buy your tickets at the airport for this 1st leg of your
  trip.

• You can, however, buy your tickets in advance for traveling from
  Venice to Florence ( if you follow Laurel's suggested itinerary
  above) and from Rome to Milan.

• Since you are leaving in 2 weeks time, you will not be able to find
  the super-economy tickets, but you may save some $ if you buy now, instead of waiting till you get to Italy.

Keep in mind that you will be traveling in high- speed (freccia) trains that travel up to 300km/hr., so you will get to your destination faster than if you drive ;-)

Edit: If you do decide to buy your tickets in advance (Venice >Florence & Rome> Milan), make sure that your dates are firm because these tickets are for a specific time & train & they are unchangeable & nonrefundable.

Sunny,

It's possible that you're seeing a discrepancy in the fares suggested here, due to the fact that your trip is taking place in the very near future. That means that the cheapest Super Economy and Economy tickets are all sold out, and therefore the rates that you're seeing are mostly at the Base pricing tier.

Especially for such a short trip of only 17 days, using the quickest method of transportation would be a more efficient use of your limited holiday time. No car can travel at 300 kmH so fast trains will minimize travel times and maximize sightseeing times.

When calculating the cost of a rental car, you'll also have to include tolls, high fuel costs, and possibility of getting "nicked" with one or more ZTL or speeding tickets.

One final point to mention. When I first looked at your post, I missed the fact that you were planning to visit the Cinque Terre two weeks from now. I agree with the others that this is probably not the best time to visit that area, as many of the businesses will still be closed for the season (the normal season opening is April 1st). If you'd like to have a look at the area, you could take a day trip from Florence (be sure to pick a nice day for that). It will be a long day, but will allow you to have a brief look.